Foundation

Highlights from 2006 Midyear Foundation Board Meeting

A host of scholarships and Annual Conference activities await NIRSA Members

The NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors met in Minneapolis, Minnesota September 13-14 and focused on continuing the pursuit of developing opportunities for reaching its $1 Million Milestone goal. 

Highlights of the meetings include:

Foundation Board approves the 2007 budget
With a request from the NIRSA Board of Directors, the Foundation Board developed a subcommittee to research and recommend future annual administrative fees paid to NIRSA for its services. Serving on the subcommittee will be Beau Rugg, Suzi Smith, Loretta Capra, Maureen McGonagle, and Kent Blumenthal. 

Donor Recognition
Within the next few weeks, individual donors (Participant Level and above) will receive a letter recapping their cumulative donations to the Foundation to date. Be sure to check your giving level and help the Foundation continue to grow. Contributions to the Foundation are accepted online.

VIP Reception
Donors with Gold Giving Level or above will be invited to attend a special VIP Reception in their honor. The reception will be held at the Annual Conference after the Opening General Session on Wednesday, April 18, 2007.

Student Scholarships to attend the 2007 Annual Conference
The Board is pleased to be able to offer 16 scholarships for student registration to the 2007 Annual Conference in Minneapolis. Online applications will be accepted from November 1, 2006 until January 15, 2007.

To be eligible for a NIRSA Foundation Scholarship, the applicant must be a graduating senior or a graduate student in good standing with plans to pursue a career in recreational sports. The applicant must be a current NIRSA Member. Two individuals with the highest GPAs will be designated as William Wasson Scholarship recipients. One individual will be awarded the Sonia and Max Gartenberg Scholarship, and in conjunction with the $1 Million Milestone Campaign, one scholarship will be awarded in recognition of each of our Corporate Partners: Woodway, Sports Imports, and Star Trac.

In addition to the NIRSA Foundation Scholarships, proceeds from the annual SoCal Scramble Golf Tournament are donated to the NIRSA Foundation to fund two scholarships, which also cover registration to the NIRSA Annual Conference. To be eligible, the applicant must be a Region VI undergraduate or graduate student.

Endowed in spring 2006, the Texas Scholarship Endowment will offer the opportunity for one additional conference registration scholarship to be awarded to a student who is either an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in course work from a university/college in the state of Texas.

Scholarship winners may receive a Foundation Scholarship as an undergraduate and a graduate student, but not in consecutive years.

Professional Scholarships
The Will Holsberry Endowment will fund two professionals’ registrations to attend the National School of Recreational Sports Management or a specialty institute or symposium sponsored by NIRSA. The Anthony (Tony) J. Chivetta Scholarship is available for registration for one professional wishing to attend either the Annual Conference or the Facilities Institute.

Annual Meeting of Members
The 2007 Annual Meeting of Members will be held on Friday, April 20 at 8 a.m.

The Quilt Raffle is back!
Minnesota law allows the Foundation to offer a quilt raffle this year. Tickets will be sold during the 2007 NIRSA Annual Conference and one lucky winner will be selected during the Business Meeting on Friday, April 20.

Golf
The 36-hole Majestic Oaks Golf Club will host the annual Foundation Golf Tournament. The shotgun start is expected to begin for all participants at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, which will allow plenty of time for participants to be back for the Opening General Session. The course is beautiful, and while the Foundation Board won’t guarantee perfect weather, University of Minnesota Recreational Sports professional Vinh Chung played the course this past April 18 to see what the weather might be like. He determined that it should be pleasant, so if you are a golfer, plan on joining in!